Mood and Audience Effects on Video Lottery Terminal Gambling

Abstract

Little is known about the situational factors associated with gambling behavior. We induced 180 male participants (mean age: 21.6) into a positive, negative, or neutral mood prior to gambling on a video lottery terminal (VLT). While gambling, participants were observed by either a male peer, female peer, or no one. Induced mood had no effect on gambling behavior. Participants induced into a negative mood prior to gambling, however, reported more positive moods after gambling, whereas those with positive and neutral moods reported more negative moods after gambling. Participants observed by either a male or female peer spent less time gambling on the VLT compared to those not observed. Participants observed by a female peer lost less money relative to the other observer conditions. Degree of problem gambling in the last year had little influence on these effects. Some practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Grant Harris, Christine Michell, Vern Quinsey, Michael Seto, Rajees Sritharan and Kelly Suschinsky for their useful comments on the manuscript. This research was supported by the Alberta Gaming Research Institute (Small Grant to MM, MLL, and RJW) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Canada Graduate Scholarship to SM).

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